We sailed on the MSC Meraviglia to The Bahamas in early August 2021.
If you follow these twelve tips, you’ll likely enjoy sailing on her as much as we did.
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Our first tip is to make sure you plan ahead for navigating the odd layouts of the Meraviglia’s
stateroom decks.
In fact, we highly recommend you locate your stateroom on the ship’s online deck plan
prior to boarding, so you’ll know exactly where your room is located.
While the exterior design of the ship was quite stunning, the two recessed sections
created some confusing interior passageways, especially at the back of the ship.
And some of the entrances to the passageways were hidden behind closed doors, which were
not always properly marked on the deck plan.
It’s also worth noting that the room numbering was extremely confusing in some areas.
For example, cabin 12104 is located next door to cabin 12130,
while cabin 12105 is located five cabins further aft,
and cabin 12106 is located twelve cabins further forward!
Another example is cabin 12248,
which is located 25 cabins forward of cabin 12249
with much higher numbers -- like cabin 12360 -- located in-between!
Our next tip is to be aware that you’ll have to walk to the middle of the ship to
access the stairs and elevators if you book a room toward the back of the ship.
The elevators and stairs that are displayed on the deck plan at the back of the ship are
not accessible by passengers.
Speaking of the midship elevators, our third tip for the Meraviglia is to take note of
all of the midship elevator options that are available.
There were five elevators on the port side
and five elevators on the starboard side that all went up to deck 19.
Additionally, there were two smaller, panoramic elevators located a bit forward that each
went up to deck 15.
While we enjoyed the view offered by the panoramic elevators, we found it more efficient to travel
on the main elevators.
Not only were there more elevators, but the main elevators could also hold more passengers
than the panoramic ones.
Our next tip is to check the deck plan located next to the elevators while waiting for your
elevator to arrive.
You’ll want to know what deck you’re heading to before you board because the only information
available inside the elevators was the deck numbers and names.
Our fifth tip is to check out the touch screens located throughout the Meraviglia for making
reservations for various experiences, such as shore excursions, theater shows, restaurants,
and more.
Also, be aware that you need to tap your wristband or cruise card to the labeled area on the
side of the screen to activate your account for the reservation.
We saw quite a few people get confused by that part of the process during our cruise.
Speaking of technology, our next tip is to be aware that you’ll need to activate your
cruise card before you can make payments on board.
We found multiple activation machines near guest services as well as other areas of the ship.
Take note that there are multiple versions of these machines and you’ll need your credit,
debit, or prepaid card with you during the activation process.
Alternatively, you can activate your card with a cash deposit at guest services.
MSC is known for their pizza and our seventh tip is to check the Atmosphere Bar for pizza
if the line at the buffet is too long.
The bar was located just forward of the Marketplace Buffet and -- as a bonus -- the Atmosphere
Ice Cream Bar was located nearby and had soft serve available.
Speaking of the Marketplace Buffet, the crew made fresh mozzarella cheese at the buffet
throughout our cruise.
The cheese was available at the buffet every day, but if you love mozzarella -- like we
do -- then our next tip is to make sure you check out the embarkation night dinner buffet.
There were significantly more mozzarella options available for that meal than any other buffet
for the rest of our cruise.
Our ninth tip for the Meraviglia is to ask for the comprehensive drink menu to explore
your beverage options.
Our delightful server at the Brass Anchor Pub shared the menu with me and I loved how
the drinks were grouped by price.
The menu was also helpful if you had a drink package since it showed everything available
with the Easy Package.
Speaking of menus, our next tip is to bring a larger device with you to restaurants for
accessing the digital menus.
Since the menus were available by scanning a QR code, we found them easier to read on
an iPad instead of a smartphone.
Our eleventh tip is to check out Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Coffee at the Galleria Meraviglia
on deck 6.
In addition to having some amazing chocolate displays, you can also see the artisans crafting
chocolates by hand.
Jellybean used the digital kiosk to order a custom chocolate bar for her birthday,
and I opted for a caramel latte,
while Daddybean enjoyed some yummy gelato from the nearby Jean-Philippe Crepes & Ice Cream.
Take note that if you time your visit just right, you can catch one of the light shows
on the LED dome.
Our next tip is to pack some extras for your stateroom.
First, pack some magnetic hooks for hanging clothes you can’t fit in the closet.
Our aft balcony had very little closet and drawer space compared to other ships we’ve
been on, so using magnetic hooks helped keep us from living out of our suitcases.
And second, pack some devices with downloaded shows and movies if you enjoy watching TV.
The TV in our room didn’t offer a lot of channels and it also lost signal for part
of the cruise, so having some entertainment downloaded to our devices was helpful.
Finally, a bonus tip!
If you want a bit of a challenge on board the Meraviglia, try to locate the coins from
the ship’s 2016 Coin Ceremony.
Many cruisers consider the finding of ships’ coins to be like a scavenger hunt, so we won’t
reveal the exact location.
However, we can confirm the coins do exist and the photo may give you an idea of where
to begin looking.